about your shop: Papercuts by Joe on Etsy

It's been a while since I've delighted your eyes with some beautiful paper cuts, so I thought I'd introduce you to a newly-found Etsy shop specialising in them.  The concisely-named Papercuts by Joe lovingly creates original artwork by hand with painstaking precision - the detail in his work implies a VERY steady hand.  Just look at how fine the lines are on this magnificent Bicycle Silhouette ($25/approximately £16.60):

This Tall Ship papercut is equally impressive, and at $45 (approximately £29.88) would make an excellent and affordable gift for any sailing fans in your life (you might want to chuck it in a frame first, mind):

Bonus points go to Joe for finding one of my weaknesses.  That's right, MOUSTACHES!  Get this set of three for $30 (approximately £19.92):

And don't forget, everyone...

...it's spectacular paper cuttery too.  Buy this 'Art is More than Paint' cutting ($120/approximately £79.67) and remind yourself of that every time you glance its way.

about your dress: Nearby Coast Dress at Anthropologie

I do love this pretty Nearby Coast Dress from dear old Anthropologie.  The sailor-style collar and beautiful bold colour appeal to me almost as much as the birdy print (almost).

Sadly, it's still a pretty hefty £99.95 (reduced from an even heftier £188), so it remains far from my price range.  I shall be keeping an eye on it in the hope that Anthropologie take pity on me/have a moment of madness and make it free OR a wealthy but distant benefactor buys it for me.  One of those things will definitely happen.

about your kitchenalia: Animal House at Habitat

In celebration of my visit to London Zoo this evening, I bring you an exciting animal-themed post!

I'm not a very good cook, and I rarely put any effort into feeding myself.  But if someone were to buy me any products from the wonderful Animal House range at Habitat, I'd definitely change that - these kitchen implements would make cooking FUN!

The range consists of six pieces...

1) Dolphin/friendly shark/fish (I don't know which) bottle opener (£5):

2) Weird monster cheese grater (£6):

3) Parrot! Definitely a parrot! corkscrew (£10):

4) Ladybird cutting board (£5):

5) Monkey vegetable peeler (£4):

6) Can opener (I can't even guess what animal this is supposed to be) (£15):

Ok, so you can't tell what some of the animals in the Animal House are (suggestions welcome in the comments), but they're still 100% more awesome than your common or garden kitchen utensils, and that's good enough for me!

about your dress: Bird-printed shift dress at Gap

HOORAH!  Gap now have a UK online store!  Having had a quick look round, it looks quite good, although I do think they could do with a bit more stock.  No matter - it's still a baby and will probably need a bit of time to find its feet.  This Bird-printed (no surprises there then) shift dress is my favourite item:

Looks comfy AND has pockets?  Yes please!  It's £55, which is pretty standard Gap pricing, but I've always thought their clothes are better quality than many other brands charging similar prices (naming no names *cough* Yumi *cough*).

Good work, Gap; add a shoe section and I'll change that to 'Spectacular work, Gap'.  The launch of this site marks the beginning of an exciting season for ecommerce in the UK, as September is set to herald the arrival of both H&M and Zara's online stores.  I'll keep you (and my bank manager) posted.

about your shop(s): The Blackbird Sings and Le Merle Noir on Etsy

If you're a regular reader of About Your Dress, you'll know I'm a sucker for birds, trees, and things made of paper.  Combine the three and you'll have me bowing at your feet, and that's exactly what Etsy seller and professional artist Natasha Newton has done with her two shops, The Blackbird Sings and Le Merle Noir.

I particularly love this Cloud Song Moleskine notebook, currently for sale at Le Merle Noir.  It's only $15 (£10), which is excellent value for a Moleskine, let alone one with original artwork.

Natasha also has a range of beautiful original paintings on sale.  I think my favourite is this one, entitled Winter Breeze 4:

The treetop is textured with pin pricks, which is a really nice detail, and Natasha stresses that it is an original painting - not a print - which makes it excellent value at $35 (approximately £23.32).  I'd hang this in a thick black frame to compliment the tree.

For just $9 (£6), you can treat yourself to a selection of Natasha's work in the form of this Birds and Trees fine art postcard and sticker set:

Like all of my favourite Etsy sellers, both of these shops make lovely original artwork available to poor people like me without forcing me to turn to a life of crime.  Everyone's a winner.

about your dress: Cream Peter Pan Smock Dress at Miss Selfridge

That time of year when we have to start thinking about shifting our wardrobes from Summer to Autumn is seemingly upon us - the start of September next week will coincide with the death of the (supposedly) hottest season of the year.  This is a good time for clothing like this Cream Peter Pan Smock Dress from Miss Selfridge, which can be worn sans tights by the brave/luscious limbed when it's a bit warmer, or with lovely thick black opaques when the chilly weather sets in.

If 'Ria in heels' wasn't so interchangeable with 'Ria on ice', I'd wear this with patent black round-toed platforms, but I'm hoping if I shell out the £45 for it I can get away with ballet pumps.

about your keyring: Moustache Keychain by Dee Hewitt on Folksy

Perhaps my love for moustaches is the first sign of oncoming gender dysphoria and certain people should be scared, but I can't help it - they are awesome.  When I get paid on Friday, one of the first things I'm going to be doing is buying this Moustache Keychain from Folksy seller Dee Hewitt.

It's a mere £5, and when I get bored on the Tube after my move to London, I might sit with it held up to my face to amuse myself and fellow passengers.  Kinda like this (except with less 'hint of stubble' - my dysphoria has not extended to wanting a beard... yet):

Dee's shop is full of brilliant accessories, including some lovely Oyster card holders - check it out!

about your bag: Tan Snaffle Cross Body Bag at Wallis

Interesting fact you probably did not know about me: I can ride horses.  I've not done it for years, and I was never very good (I preferred the grooming/looking after part rather than the actual riding) but I do have a soft spot for the big ole beasts.  Perhaps this is why I like this Tan Snaffle Cross Body Bag*, currently on sale in Wallis for a mere £27.

It's a good size, so you can fill it with Polos and apples and Guinness**, and other things horses like.  Or just normal handbag stuff, whatevs.

*In case you didn't get the link there, a snaffle is a type of bit, and a bit is the part of the bridle which goes in the horse's mouth.
**Horses like Guinness.  I'm not even joking.

about your brooch: assorted wooden brooches at Happy Doodle Land

How sweet are these wooden brooches from Happy Doodle Land at Etsy?

They're $10 each (that's approximately £6.61 according to the handy new Etsy currency converter feature), and you can pick your own from this selection of 21:

I would get the owl.  No, the 'hello' speech bubble.  No!  The Penny Farthing!  NO!  THE UMBRELLA!  TOO MUCH CHOICE!

about your earrings: Anchor Earrings from Temporary Secretary

I think the main reason I like these Anchor Earrings from the wonderfully named jewellery boutique Temporary Secretary is the fact they look a lot like buttons my mum used to keep in a big tin (with lots of other buttons - a button menagerie, if you will) when I was little.

They're a mere £5.95, but if you increase your order to £20 with some of the other goodies Temporary Secretary have on offer, you get a free gift!  That's what I call a WIN.

about your shop: boygirlparty.com

I do love Twitter.  Sometimes it helps me to decide what to have for tea, sometimes it acts as a sounding board for epic rants, sometimes it informs me when excellent shops have been reopened following an update so I can finally let you all know about them!  boygirlparty.com is home to the work of the wonderful Susie Ghahremani, cat-painter and bird-depicter extraordinaire.  Susie is based in California (take a second and think about the sunshine, UK-based readers) and "her artwork combines her love of nature, animals, music and patterns. Born and raised in Chicago, Susie now happily spends her time painting, drawing, crafting and tending to her pet finches and cat in San Diego, CA." She's got FINCHES.  This excites me tremendously.  Anyway, enough gushing, let me show you just a smidgen of what's on offer at boygirlparty.com...

There's plenty of stationery to choose from, including notepads ($15 for this set of three journals):

Look at the detail on the inside cover!

Cards ($15 for the Musical Cards set and $6 for the Moving Cards set):

(Which I shall be purchasing in time for my move to London - one month today!)

Lists (this pad of 50 'To Do' sheets is $8 and even has a built-in procrastination option):

And labels (this comprehensive All Occasion label set will set you back a mere $11):

And there's clothing and accessories too!  I especially like this cute Octopus t-shirt ($20).  "You made me ink!"  

This vinyl typewriter wallet ($20) also rocks my world - check out the handy instructional picture!

You can also appreciate Susie's work in purely decorative form, with prints and original pieces available, like this Starry Owl print set ($35):

The pieces featured in this post are all my favourites (and can be used to bribe me at any time), but in reality I'd buy it all if I could.  I should probably also mention that I wouldn't have found boygirlparty.com were it not for the boyfriend - already a loyal customer - pointing me in the direction of this awesome shop.  I am pleased that this artist and her website are the focus of what has clearly been my most comprehensive post yet, and I urge you to visit boygirlparty.com yourself and pick your favourites!

about your shoes: Poetic Licence Delish shoes at Irregular Choice

A combination of being horrendously clumsy and not wearing my first pair of grown-up shoes until I was 18 means big heels and I do not get along.  I've found that many designers and shops tend to stick to one end of the spectrum, be it flat-as-a-pancake or skyscraper-high, so it's rare for me to find a pair of heels which makes me think "Yeah, I could walk in those" (boring and clumpy M&S middle-aged office-worker styles aside).

These Poetic Licence Delish shoes are clearly made for me:

They're WONDERFUL.  Fun, yet practical.  They will be mine... Just as soon as I've found the £69.99 I need to buy them from Irregular Choice.  Anyone need a kidney?  Semi-working order, sold as seen.

about your dress: drapey dresses from French Connection

Whilst perusing the French Connection site today, I found two absolute beauties: the Meadow dress...

...also available in 'poppet' (purple)...

...and the Verona Viscose dress...

...also available in 'solstice sky' (blue)...

Both are relatively cheap in FC terms; the Meadow dress is £50 whilst the Verona is £55 plus the cost of a 'slip or undergarment' (according to the product description it's a little see through- kind of them to warn us though).  Which do you prefer?

about your dress: tempting the sun back with tropical dresses

I can't be the only one who feels a little bit like they've been deprived of a Summer YET AGAIN, can I?  Oh sure, it was a bit warm for a few days about six weeks ago, but that's a distant memory now.  It's supposed to be August; I shouldn't be wearing thick black leggings and cardigans.  So here's my plan: if everyone buys a lovely tropical summery dress, the sun will feel obliged to come out.  How's about this Oasis Palm Tree Sundress by Ruby Rocks, available for a measly £39 at Joy?

Or you could channel the rainforest vibe with the Alizee dress by Miss Sixty, now half price (£45, but it is silk) at Remy:

Also reduced (from £35 to £22) is this Tropical Floral Ra Ra Bandeau dress by Iska, available at ASOS - the peplum skirt would come in handy when you need to hide your pineapple-cocktail filled belly:

Last, but by no means least, is the Fiji Sundress by Fever.  We did stock this at Aspire, but since we sold out long ago, I've managed to track it down at Frocked Up - unfortunately they're still selling it at full price, which is a fairly steep £64.99.  'Tis lovely though...

So, are you in?  EXCELLENT.  Now we just have to chuck some sunnies on and wait...





...Could you bring me a cardi please?

about your dress: Garbo satin maxi dress at Anusha

Dear Reader, I'd like to introduce you to someone very special.  Meet Greta:

No, not the woman, the DRESS.  This stunning maxi is so much more glamorous than anything I own/have ever owned/could ever hope to own (I don't think I could ever emit anywhere near enough class to pull it off) and yet, I still want it.  It just goes to show, you don't have to bedeck yourself in bedazzlery to make jaws drop.  Greta is £149 from Anusha.

about your shoes: All Loafer the Place Flat from ModCloth

I do like ModCloth, American purveyor of stylishness at reasonable prices, but the feelings I have for these All Loafer the Place Flats ($79.99) are so in excess of casual 'like' that (dare I say it?) I love them.  With all my heart, and both my feet.

This is a ModCloth thing, rather than their designer-given nom de guerre, but their name is also a so-bad-it's-good play on words!  Just my cup of tea.  I shall lust after them until they arrive at my door.  Sadly, my bank balance at present indicates this may be a long term/distance relationship.

about your trousers: Micro Climate Trousers at Anthropologie

This little blog of mine is now six months old and this is the first time I've EVER featured a pair of trews.  I think. Don't quote me on that, and don't tell anyone I told you this, but I am *sometimes* wrong.  I'm one of those people who doesn't buy trousers because I struggle to find any which make me look even ok, let alone anything approaching goddess level (HA).  The same is probably true of these Micro Climate Trousers at Anthropologie, but I'm generous enough to share them with you because I LOVE THEM:

They're in the sale, obviously (it is Anthropologie and I don't think you're all millionares) and are reduced from £78 to £39.95.  According to the product description you can "go from desert to rainforest with ease" in these trousers, but I think they'd be just as suitable for going from bar to... well, bar.

about your sale: Urban Outfitters sale

When I visit the Urban Outfitters website, I rarely look at their full-priced goodies because my bank balance simply won't allow it and I'd only end up sobbing into my laptop if I did venture thataway.  Instead, I journey over to their perma-sale, where you can always find some significantly reduced treats, like these...

I do not have the figure for playsuits, and whilst this is something I rarely mourn, I wish I could pull of this Grey Antics Taffetta Sweetheart number, reduced from £80 to £40.

Speaking of things I don't have the figure for, this Kimichi & Blue A-Line Military dress is now only available in XS, but it is better than half price (£19.99 from £45) so if you are enviably thin I beg you to grab one and let me live vicariously through you.  Thanks.

Since foolishly losing my purse in Islington yesterday, I have been almost entirely submerged in a quagmire of misery, but finding this Leather Vintage Style Wallet lifted my mood considerably...

...until I realised I have no means of purchasing it.  Volunteers are most welcome; I'm not proud.  It's £18, and is also available in 'moss' (but for the record, I much prefer the tan).

Last but not least, I bring you AN ABSOLUTE BARGAIN.

A little bit jazzier than your standard drapey jersey cardigan, this one from Best Behaviour has been reduced from £130 to - *drumroll* - £39.99!  Ok, I don't know anyone in their right mind who'd shell out £130 for something this basic, but it's the principal of the matter.

about your cardigan: Fusion Cheval Cardigan from Monsoon

As my best friend* says, I like "stuff with stuff on it".  I think a cardigan with horses on it fits safely into this category.

 I'm intrigued by the item description though, which calls this cardi "conversational".  How would that conversation go?

"Your cardigan's got horses on it."

"Yes.  Yes it has."

If you're prepared to engage in such an exciting dialogue, this sweet little shoulder-warmer can be yours for £45 from Monsoon.

*Said best friend is getting married THIS SATURDAY!  If you're on Twitter, be a doll and wish her luck; she's @Mazzle86.  You'd better be following me too...

about your dress: Cecily Jones Bunty dress at Oliver Bonas

Yes, another dress featuring a birdy print.  You wanna make something of it?  I'll totally take this outside!  No?  Thought not.  Moving on, this lovely Bunty dress by Cecily Jones at Oliver Bonas features her "signature seagull print" and I am a little bit in love with it.

It's only £39, reduced from £49, which increases its buyability* significantly.  Loving the gulls but not a fan of the cleavage exposure?  That's cool, you can cover up with the Eliza dress (also £39):

You don't like blue?  Good lord, there really is no pleasing you!  Fortunately the Eliza dress is also available in grey(ish brown):

Don't say I never give you anything.

In case you hadn't noticed, all three dresses are exclusive to Oliver Bonas (it's true, I've checked), so do get a wriggle on if you want [to buy me] one.


*New word.  Go with it.